The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1887-07-23
BIRDS IN THEIR NESTS.
BITS OF NATURE GROUPED IN THE
PARK MUSEUM.

In the exhibit Of the Museum Of Natur,
History TINS summer are eighteen groups
birds, which make their homes some porto
OF the year in tho city or within fifty miles c
New York Some Of them are to be foun
IN Central park. Others were taken on Oh
hills or along the coast Of Long Island; mos
or them from Westchester county, but sever,
OF the rarer groups are only to be found /
the marshes and deeper woods Of New Jerse,
The most interesting feature Of these grour
is that they do not simply represent stuffe
birds under glass case, but in each instanc
the bird is preserved in life like attitude
ana It's nest, eggs or young birds, and the tire
or moss, amid which its home was made. ar
reproduced. In examining them one has he
fore him not picture but scrap Of natur
itself. In one instance, that of the field spar
row, the birds have built their home on n boz
in the long grass by the side of a runnin,
stream. y part of the bog was brought ava,
bodily, and with il the imprint of cow
hoof close beside the nest, which the anima
narrowly missed crushing when she cam
down to the stream to drink.
The work of securing the birds and prepar
ing them was done by Jeanness Richardson
the naturalist, who has charge of the labora
tory of the museum. The foliage which lool,
so real is reproduced from the natural speci
mems by Mrs. l.. $, Mogrdge who was con
nected with the kenSington museum in Eng
land, but is now engaged by the museum
here. Mr. Richardson is an enthusiast i'm hi,
work lie knows no kcener enjoyment than
in searching out the home of some rare specie.
to add to his collection. During the summer
his vacation will he taken up in a search for
ten more groups 10 add to the museum collec,
| tion.
"liuntlng for specimens" Mr. Richardson
! said, with sparkle in his eve, lis the rarest
sport know of. Especially when the speci-
mems are the smallest of all birds, and il is n
particular species of them that You want. At
first thought it would seem quite impossihle
To trace the humming birds YOU see lashiuc,
about The honeySuckle home 10 their nests
They buzz and flash like meteor and thew
are gone. Then there are half dozen yarie
ties of sparrowS, which To the general oh
server all lool, alike, but here are several
varieties in the groups | have collected, and
when you look at them closely you will see
that there is wide difference OF course
you don't often get chance to approach So
near them when they are alive and in the
fields. The habits of the several species are
just rs unlike as their appearance One
variety always makes It's nest near the water
on the ground, and another always under
some overhanging bank or III the roots of nm
old tree
DO You see this pair with the nest under
the bank! That is Louisiana water thrush
II is rather n rare bird in this section. but n
few of them get up here along the coast every
year In the winter they go down into the
West Indies, Southern Mexico and Central
America. They are beautiful singers, but
are not often heard because their homes are
always deep in the woodland thickets. where
they are not often intruied on by human
beings. came on this male quiet by acct
dent. and 1t was n long hunt of nearly a week
before found the nest and secured both the
birds. | was looking for another kind of
bird, the red breasted grosbeak, that is a
powerful singer up in the new PARKS of West
chester, when | heard the male thrush sing
ing. caught good glimpse of him and rec
ognzed what h was followed him some
distance and then lost him for the day. The
next day found him again and traced him
down to a little stream, but I could get no
further cew to him. For several days
brought my lunch and sat down on the bank
and watched the little fellow. could have
shot him any time, but that would have done
no good, as | wanted the nest He seemed to
know it and would aght on branch almost
within arms reach and sing with all his
might and then dart out Of sight How did |
get himI Why at last examined the bank.
and right under the very spot where | had
been eating my luncheon was the nest hidden
away. The female was sitting on il with the
four white eggs spotted with brown. as YOU
see. Ii was easy to take the birds then
though felt 1t pity to do so. | cut out n
piece OF the bank, and there 1t is, the genuine
WestchcSt'. - soil that you see there
$40 You use a shotgun to secure the birdslr |
Eyes, with the smallest kind of shot, hardly |
anger than mustard seed, and a light charge |
VI powder. The small birds like tho phnbes |
~ the wrcns would be torn TO pieces by |
arger shot. When | cannot carry away the |
Of the nest | photograph them |
md take notes FOR tlcir reproduction in the |
laboratory. II is quite easy to get the branch |
# an apple tree en- n dogwood on which Mrs. |
jogridgc has made such lifeike blossoms.
The robins too were easy to get. Those
'lIdlN l'Nlli III 'filli III Ilhlk ana ttt a |
,crmt TO take them. They are very shy. A
,air of them escaped in the park four or five
ears ago and they remain there summer and
winter. There are about "A dozen pairs of
hem now. That little fellow is the oven
,ird, 50 called from its dome shaped nest
uilt on the ground, rooted over and with an
ntrancc on one side. That little brown
elbow singing to his mate is the Politician
found him up near lIartSialr, Westminster,
nd there was piece of The Tribune in his
est. He gets bis name from his habit Of
licking up bits of newspaper 10 weave in his
est, In the winter he goes down TO the Gulf
5 far aS Guatemala. The largest birds in
he group are the cIapper rails, kind Of
nipe | found them in the course Of a hunt
own on Long Island for the seaside sparrow.
'ou see how these rails make their nests OF
FL grass and reeds. The nests are only
1und out in the den,e salt marshes. The
irds have little Indian trails 10 the nests
trough the tall grass, but it is difficult to
nd them. They lay az many as twelve
reamy buff eggs Their harsh Gathering
otes give them their name, and they live in
40 marshes summer and winter